Guy's Unexpected Marriage
by Jane McBrennen
Summary: A wealthy young woman comes to Nottingham to marry Guy. What will he do? AU. Set during season two. Guy/OC.
1. Robin Hood

_**Guy's Unexpected Marriage**_

**Chapter One: "Robin Hood." **

**A/N: Gisborne Castle is portrayed by Eilean Donan Castle. Google it. It's beautiful. Lady Kate is portrayed by the lovely Eva Green. I'll do my best to describe her but that kind of beauty is beyond words. Guy is of course played by the sexy Richard Armitage. This is a Guy/OC fic so anyone not on board with that needs to back out now. I've had some people complain about putting an OC with regular characters so now I always put a little warning in. This is in no way a Guy/Marian fic. In fact, it's very anti-Marian. She'll be portrayed as bitchy and manipulative because that's kind of the way she is. Don't like it, hit the back button. And flames will be used to roast marshmallows. This takes place in season two at the beginning right when Marian and Guy get chummy again. Also, if you like my writing, check out my book on Amazon Kindle, Plain Jane by Ashleigh Knight. It's about vampires and is very anti-Twilight. Anyway, I hope you guys like this. I've been thinking about it for a while. Oh, and her singing voice is played by Orla Fallon from Celtic Woman. And we're ignoring season three, which I didn't see.**

* * *

Lady Kate of Gisborne did not like travelling. In fact, she disliked it greatly. Her backside was numb and her paid companion, a middle-aged woman that annoyed her, was snoring loudly. Her father had insisted that she not travel alone, and in the state he was in she dare not argue lest he take a turn for the worst before she could complete her mission. She also couldn't bear the thought of losing a minute with him. He had so little time left.

She remembered the move to Gisborne Castle. It had been so exciting. She was only eight at the time and her mother had been alive. But she was gone now, had died shortly after the move to Gisborne. She remembered playing in the moat as a child. She smiled at the fond memory. Her father would always tease her for behaving like a ruffian, playing with the boys and getting all muddy and wet. When her mother had died she became the lady of the house and things had changed. She got a governess and she became more serious, though nothing could keep her from laughing merrily at her father's jests, however inappropriate they often were. She loved him too much to hurt his feelings.

The carriage came to a stop and Lady Kate looked out the window. They were not yet at the castle. Why had they stopped?

"Robert, why have we stopped?" she called.

"There's a log in the road, milady," Robert said. "I shall have to get down and move it."

"Very well, Robert, but do try to hurry," she said. "We need to get to the Nottingham before dark."

"I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere just now," a voice called from the woods.

Lady Kate looked out to see a man with sand-colored hair stepping out of the woods with a bow in his hand. Others stepped out of the woods. Outlaws. Lovely. Just what she needed. They would have to die. The thought wasn't pleasant. But she would do what was necessary. Fortunately there was a sword with the trunk of money. She had intended to present it to Sir Guy without blood on it but she would do what she had to in order to get to Nottingham with her gifts unstolen.

"You, sir!" she called to the young man with sandy hair. "Who are you that you accost women?"

She got out of the carriage and he stepped forward to help her down, something she did not expect. She allowed him to help her down without punching him and breaking his nose. She had a feeling that this man was not a common outlaw. He had all the marks of nobility and knew how to treat a lady with respect. Helping her from the carriage without being asked was a very marked feature of nobility. No commoner would know to do that.

"You have not answered my question, sir," she said irritably, freeing herself from his grasp. "You have not told me why you have stopped this carriage, nor what right you have to do so."

"The starving people of Locksley give me the right, my lady," he said with a bow. "And my name is Robin Hood."

She raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"Really? And what proof do you have that you are who you say you are?" she demanded.

She believed him. He seemed like the type to be Robin Hood. Besides, she could always tell when someone was lying. It was a gift she had inherited from her mother. Still, she wanted proof before she let him take anything. Her mission was too important to give away those gifts to just anybody.

"Here," the supposed Robin said, taking a wooden amulet from beneath his shirt. He took it off and handed it to her. It had a strange symbol on it. She looked up at him.

"Is this supposed to mean something to me?" she asked his dubiously.

"It's our symbol," he said. "It proves I'm Robin Hood."

"Any child could make this and say it proves he's Robin Hood," she said with a scoff, handing the trinket back to him. He frowned and put it back on. "Nonetheless, I choose to believe you at your word. The idea of you not being Robin Hood does not appeal to me. Besides, I can tell when people are lying. What is it you want of me, Lord Locksley?"

"We want your valuables," he said, glowing at her use of his title. "We'll only take a percentage of it but we need it to feed the poor of Nottingham."

"Very well," she said. "Robert, unlock the trunk."

"Milady, are you sure?" Robert asked, sounding scandalized.

"Of course, Robert. Now do as I ask," Lady Kate said, turning back to Robin. "Follow me, Lord Locksley."

She smiled at him and led him around to the back of the carriage. On the back a trunk was tied. Robert stepped down from the driver's seat and took a key from a rope around his neck. He untied the trunk and laid it on the ground before Lady Kate, unlocked it and flipping the lid open. On top laid a sword encrusted with jewels. It shined in the dim forest light, the gems on the sheath gleaming wickedly. It was a beautiful sword.

"Oh!" Robin gasped. "May I?"

Lady Kate nodded with a smile. He reached forward and pulled out the sword, removing it from its sheath. The blade twinkled in the sunlight coming through the trees.

"It's beautiful," he said in awe, the others watching from a distance. "The balance is perfect. I've never seen its equal."

"Thank you," she said with a smile. "I will tell our blacksmith you said so. It is a gift for Sir Guy of Gisborne. I'm hope he appreciates its qualities as much as you."

"Gisborne!" he cried. "What have you to do with Gisborne?"

"It is my intention to marry him if he will have me," she said calmly. "I need him to run my father's lands when he dies."

"But _Gisborne!_" Robin said in horror. "You can't marry him! He's the devil!"

Lady Kate laughed lightly.

"That is a bit extreme, don't you think? The devil? But I suppose you know him better than I do. He seemed a promising young man when he asked my father about buying back the Gisborne lands. I never saw him but my father said he seemed quite the gentleman."

"Gentleman! Gisborne? Ha!" Robin shouted. "You've been deceived, or your father has. Guy of Gisborne is a monster. He's cruel and mean and evil, and he's only out for himself. He tried to kill the king!"

She frowned at this.

"That is not promising," she said emotionlessly. "Perhaps you are wrong. Perhaps he did not try to kill the king."

"I was there!" Robin shouted. "I saw him! He tried to kill the king!"

"Alright, I will concede that that is possible," she said. "That would be problematic should the king return. I will deal with that later though. I have problems of my own to deal with that are far more immediate. My father is dying and a wicked baron wants my father's lands and intends to marry me to get them. I will have no other choice if there is not a man already there to protect me. You must see my dilemma."

"But why him? Why can't you marry someone else?" Robin said. "There has to be someone!"

"In truth, there is no one else I can think of," she said. "And Sir Guy has claims on the Gisborne lands, which my father now own, that cannot be ignored. He once lived there as a boy, was forced from his home when his father died and they couldn't pay their debts. I intend to right that as soon as possible.

"And you know," she said with a nervous laugh, "he may not even want me. I have heard there is another lady who holds his heart, a Lady Marian Fitzwalter."

"I know her," Robin said gravely. "He'll want you. He thinks in terms of what he can get out of life. You have more to offer. He'll take you if you offer yourself to him and he'll make you miserable. You can't marry him, my lady."

"The baron is a cruel man," she said with equal gravity. "I know without a doubt that he would make my people very unhappy. There is a chance that Sir Guy won't. I _must_ take that chance, Lord Locksley. I have no other choice."

"And what of your happiness, my lady? Are you willing to forfeit that for your people?" he asked.

"Wouldn't you?" she asked desperately. "I must do this terrible thing. Surely you must see that."

"I see only a woman destined for tragedy," he said with a shake of his head. "There must be another way."

"I tell you there is not!" she cried, trembling. She took a deep breath to calm herself and tried to smile. "Let us get that money for your people so I can be on my way. I would like to arrive before dark."

She pulled a cloth from the trunk that covered the contents and laid it on the ground, revealing that the trunk was full of gold and silver coins. Robin gasped. He hadn't seen so much gold in his whole life.

She took a handful and handed it to him, then another and another, until his arms were full of gold and silver.

"There," she said. "Will that do?"

"Will that do?" he said in smiling surprise. "That will feed all of Nottingham for a year! You are far too kind to marry Gisborne. You have to reconsider."

"I have and I am now more firm in my purpose than ever," she said firmly. "Now please move that log in the road so we can get to the castle. It was lovely to meet you, Lord Locksley."

She curtseyed and walked back to the side of the carriage. Robin dropped the coins to help her in and she smiled at him when she settled in. Her companion was still sleeping.

"Much, Allan, move that log!" Robin shouted to his men.

"Thank you, Lord Locksley," she said, extending her hand.

"Thank _you_, my lady," Robin said, kissing her hand. "If you need _anything_ at all, you know where to find me. I'll be happy to help you in any way I can."

"Thank you, Lord Locksley," she said with a smile. "Perhaps one day I shall take you up on that. Goodbye."

Robert climbed into the driver's seat and the men moved the log. Robert slapped the reins and the horses started trotting. Lady Kate waved a handkerchief from the window as they moved away, closer and closer to Nottingham.


	2. Lady Kate

_**Guy's Unexpected Marriage**_

**Chapter One: "Robin Hood." **

**A/N: Gisborne Castle is portrayed by Eilean Donan Castle. Google it. It's beautiful. Lady Kate is portrayed by the lovely Eva Green. I'll do my best to describe her but that kind of beauty is beyond words. Guy is of course played by the sexy Richard Armitage. This is a Guy/OC fic so anyone not on board with that needs to back out now. I've had some people complain about putting an OC with regular characters so now I always put a little warning in. This is in no way a Guy/Marian fic. In fact, it's very anti-Marian. She'll be portrayed as bitchy and manipulative because that's kind of the way she is. Don't like it, hit the back button. And flames will be used to roast marshmallows. This takes place in season two at the beginning right when Marian and Guy get chummy again. Also, if you like my writing, check out my book on Amazon Kindle, Plain Jane by Ashleigh Knight. It's about vampires and is very anti-Twilight. Anyway, I hope you guys like this. I've been thinking about it for a while. Oh, and her singing voice is played by Orla Fallon from Celtic Woman. And we're ignoring season three, which I didn't see.**

* * *

Sir Guy of Gisborne walked down the castle halls, looking for Marian. He wanted to see her. Not about anything in particular. He just wanted to talk. He so enjoyed their verbal sparring. She was so passionate and fiery. He wished she had married him when she had the chance. He still wasn't sure he forgave her for leaving him at the alter. Or punching him. He still had a scar from where the ring had cut him.

He would try the courtyard. Perhaps she was talking with the peasants again.

He walked out into the courtyard just as a carriage was pulling up. Was the sheriff expecting visitors? He hadn't mentioned it.

The driver stepped down and helped two ladies out of the carriage. The first one was fat with a pug face and distasteful features. The second was breathtaking, far lovelier than any woman he'd ever seen. She had long brown hair that fell to her waist and curled at the ends. Her skin was pale and her figure full and curvy in all the right places. She was slender but not thin, tall but not too tall. She wore a dark blue silk dress with trailing sleeves and brown deer skin boots. She wore a fur cloak made of ermine that looked warm and luxurious. She looked up at him with a smile and he saw that her eyes were light green, the color of the sea. Her lips were dark red and full, her smile captivating. She wore a crown, like a queen. She looked like a queen, regal and elegant. She was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen.

He stood there, dumbfounded, unable to move. He had no idea if he should approach. He was never good with ladies. Women, yes; ladies, no. He didn't know how to act around noble women. They required more manners than Guy had ready at his disposal.

The beautiful lady stepped forward and opened her arms in a gesture of welcome.

"You must be Sir Guy," she said, taking his hands, surprising him. "I have heard so much about you. You are exactly as my father described."

"I'm sorry, but do I know your father?" he asked, confused. She didn't look like anyone he knew.

"Yes, you met him when you came to enquire about buying back the Gisborne lands," she said with a friendly smile.

His eyes widened in surprise. She was Sir Thomas of Gisborne's daughter? He remembered the man. He had spoken with him only a few years ago. The man had been kind but ill. He had gently refused to sell back the Gisborne lands but had offered him a place at his dinner table and a room for as long as he wanted it. Guy had refused. It was too painful to be back home when he knew it wasn't his home anymore. Sir Thomas had mentioned his daughter but he had said nothing of her extraordinary beauty. Could this really be that same man's daughter? If so she looked nothing like her father. Sir Thomas was an average looking man, nothing extraordinary about his features.

"Hello," the sheriff said curiously from behind Guy. "Who are you?"

_Wonderful_, Guy thought. _I just needed someone else to humiliate me. I wasn't doing it well enough on my own._

"I am Lady Katherine of Gisborne," she said, releasing Guy's hands and extending one to the sheriff. "I've come to speak with Sir Guy on a matter of important business concerning my father's estate. I was hoping to trespass on your hospitality until the matter was settled. You must be Sheriff Vasey. It is so lovely to meet you."

"I'm afraid that wouldn't be convenient," Vasey said with a forced grin. "We haven't got any clean room at the moment and the servants are very busy being, well, serving."

"We can pay," she said, throwing her arms out.

The driver came forward with a trunk which was obviously heavy. He laid it on the ground at Lady Katherine's feet and opened the lid. She took a sword from the top of the trunk and then a cloth, revealing a mass of gold and silver coins. The sheriff's eyes bugged out and he licked his lips at the sight. Guy eyed it with surprise and envy. His own coffers at home, all he owned in the world, didn't amount to what he saw before him.

"You will have to forgive me, Sir Guy," she said, smiling at him. Her smile took his breath away. "I had intended to give you the chest in its entirety as a gesture of good will but I will have to take some out to pay for my stay here. Also, this is for you."

She held out the sword to him, dropping the cloth at her feet. He took it, deeply confused. It was beautiful. He removed it from its sheath and felt the balance. Perfect, completely without fault. He'd never seen its equal and being a Master At Arms he knew something about swords.

"I don't understand," he said, an expression of confusion on his face. "Why are you giving me these things? Haven't you come to sell me Gisborne?"

"Perhaps it would be better if we could talk somewhere private," she said with a gentle smile. "Shall we go inside?"

Vasey looked up from staring at the trunk and cleared his throat.

"Erm, yes, Gisborne, show her inside," Vasey said, eyeing the trunk out of the corner of his eye. "We don't want our guest waiting outside in the cold. Forgive him, Lady Katherine, he isn't all that bright. I do what I can with him."

Vasey grinned at her and she forced a smile at the creature.

"I'm sure that Sir Guy is a very intelligent man," she said, meeting Guy's eyes with a knowing smile. It was almost as if she could imagine what he had to put up with every day from the sheriff.

He smirked but tried to hide it by biting his bottom lip. She saw it though and smiled in amusement, mirth dancing in her green eyes.

"If you will, Lady Katherine…" he said, holding out his arm for her to take.

She placed her hand gently on his arm and he led her inside.

"Do call me Lady Kate, Sir Guy," she said. "I do so prefer it."

"Very well, Lady Kate," he said as he led her into the dining hall. The sheriff had not followed. "We can talk in here."

She let go of his arm and stepped further into the room. The windows were open and though it was a cold day, there was a fire and plenty of warmth to be had.

"What a refreshing room," she said lightly, taking a deep breath.

"You did not come to talk about the room," he said.

"No," she said, turning around to face him. "I did not. I have come here to make you an offer, Sir Guy, but before I do I must ask you a question. Are you engaged to Lady Marian Fitzwalter?"

Guy's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"I do not see-" he began.

"You will in a moment, Sir Guy, I promise you," she said. "Please answer my question."

"No," he said gruffly. He did not like this line of questioning.

"Good," she said with a smile. "That will make things much simpler. I have come a long way, Sir Guy, and not without some doubts. I have heard many things about you, not all of them pleasant. But that is not the point. The point is I have come to make you a very lucrative offer, one that could set you up for life."

"I'm listening," he said, genuinely curious.

"I have come to offer you my hand in marriage," she said.

"What?" he said with wide eyes.

"My father is dying and without him it will be impossible to run the Gisborne estate by myself. There are men who want to take the Gisborne lands for their own and would not be above forcing me to marry them in order to do so," she said, pacing nervously. "These men are ruthless and would treat my people very badly if they were to get their hands on my father's lands and money. If we were married though, you could protect me and my people from them. My father's title, a dukedom, will go to a cousin of mine who is now but eight years old, but the money and lands will be my dowry. All of it is yours if you wish."

"I do not understand," he said. "Why are you asking me? Surely there is someone else you can marry, some neighbor or knight. Why me?"

"You have a prior claim on the Gisborne estate. I know you used to live there and a few years ago wished to purchase the lands from my father and he refused. Now is your chance to get your home back," she said, stopping in front of him. "And truthfully, there is no one else, at least no one that I would wish to marry. I need someone bendable, someone willing to take advice, someone who will take their cues from me and treat my people with respect and dignity. I need you, Sir Guy. You can help me."

"You think I'm bendable?" he said with a frown.

"I think you have ambition and would promise to listen to me if it would get you what you wanted," she said. "I know that the sheriff must use you terribly, and I have heard how Lady Marian has infamously treated you. You can rise above them all, above all of Nottingham. You can be a man of stature and wealth, someone respected and well-loved by his people. You can have Gisborne and me, and climb to heights you've never imagined. I can help you. I can teach you every in and out of nobility, everything you didn't get a chance to learn before you were forced out of your home. I can make you into anything you want. Marry me. Together we'll take the world by storm."

Guy ran a hand through his hair, hardly understanding what was happening to him. Marry her? A complete stranger? What about Marian? What about the sheriff? Surely he wouldn't let guy go with all he knew about the Black Knights. Would he?

"This is complicated," Guy said. "There are variables. The sheriff for instance."

"I'll take care of the sheriff," she said with a smile.

"What about Marian?" he said.

"What about her?" Lady Kate said irritably. "She's treated you infamously. She has no claim on you. Marry me."

"The circumstances of her treatment are complicated," he said, looking away. It was too humiliating to go into. But he would still defend her. "Marian is complicated."

"I will make you a deal," Lady Kate said, folding her hands. "Ask Lady Marian to marry you and if she says yes, I will go away and you can keep the trunk full of gold and live happily ever after."

"And if she says no?" he asked.

"Then you will marry me and we'll live happily ever after," she said.

"What about love? Does that matter at all to you?" he said.

"Love is a luxury I can't afford," she said, wringing her hands and pacing some more. "I've been faced with decisions that no woman ought to have to make. I'm doing what's right for my people. They're all that matters. Noblesse oblige. The obligation of nobility. I owe it to my people as their lady to conduct myself nobly. That means making sacrifices. I'm willing to do that. I have to be. For their sakes."

"And what of your own happiness?" he asked. "Do you care nothing for yourself?"

She laughed bitterly.

"I care far too much for myself," she said. "I am selfish and often immature. But I'm making up for that now. I will marry you if you will have me. Do we have a deal?"

He thought about it long and hard for a moment. Could he really marry her if Marian said no? He looked at her pale skin, her soft brown hair shining in the light from the window, her pale green eyes, the softness of her lips, her utter beauty. Yes, he could marry her. He might even love her one day. It was possible. Besides, he wasn't fool enough to turn down such a generous offer if Marian refused him, a thought he could barely stand. He cared for Marian. He knew she cared for him too. Surely she would say yes.

"Yes," he said. "We have a deal."

She smiled up at him in relief.

"Good," she said. "Now, perhaps you can show me to my room. I am tired and in need of rest."

"Yes, my lady," he said with a bow, extending his arm to her.

He had a great deal to think about.


	3. Marian

_**Guy's Unexpected Marriage**_

**Chapter Three: "Marian." **

**A/N: Gisborne Castle is portrayed by Eilean Donan Castle. Google it. It's beautiful. Lady Kate is portrayed by the lovely Eva Green. I'll do my best to describe her but that kind of beauty is beyond words. Guy is of course played by the sexy Richard Armitage. This is a Guy/OC fic so anyone not on board with that needs to back out now. I've had some people complain about putting an OC with regular characters so now I always put a little warning in. This is in no way a Guy/Marian fic. In fact, it's very anti-Marian. She'll be portrayed as bitchy and manipulative because that's kind of the way she is. Don't like it, hit the back button. And flames will be used to roast marshmallows. This takes place in season two at the beginning right when Marian and Guy get chummy again. Oh, and her singing voice is played by Orla Fallon from Celtic Woman. And we're ignoring season three, which I didn't see.**

* * *

Guy walked down the hall toward Marian's room. He had escorted Lady Kate to a guest chamber that Vasey had told the servants to prepare. She was resting now, tended to by the servants. He hardly knew what to think of her. She was different from any woman he had ever met, willing to sacrifice everything for her people, to marry a stranger she had no love for. Was he doing the right thing by asking Marian to marry him when Lady Kate so obviously needed his help? He felt guilty and selfish for wanting Marian when Lady Kate was willing to sacrifice her happiness so willingly for her people. He wanted Marian to say yes and was almost sure she would when faced with losing him forever but was that really the right thing to do? He tried not to concern himself with what was right and wrong usually but when faced with such selflessness it was hard not to think about it. Besides, she had offered him the world. Was Marian really worth giving that up for? Yes. Yes, she was worth almost anything. She was selfish and manipulative but he felt for her and he would rather be with her than have a kingdom. Even if Lady Kate was the most beautiful and appealing woman he'd ever met.

He arrived at Marian's door and stood there for a long moment, hesitating. He had a knot in the pit of his stomach, a feeling of anxiety. _You're just nervous_, he told himself. _She'll say yes._ But was that really worried about? Or was it the possibility that she might say yes that had him sweating?

Summoning his courage, he knocked on the door.

"Yes? Who is it?" Marian said from inside the room.

"It's me," Guy said. "I need to speak with you. It is very urgent."

"Come in," she said.

He turned the door handle and entered, finding Marian sitting in a chair by the fire, working on some embroidery.

"What is, Guy?" she said without so much as a smile.

Lady Kate did nothing but smile. He tried not to compare Marian with her but he couldn't help it. Marian was beautiful, there was no doubt, but she paled in comparison with Lady Kate. Marian's face was round while Lady Kate's was oval with defined features. Marian had a fuller, more muscular figure than Lady Kate who was slender and delicate, though she looked strong and healthy. The comparison didn't favor Marian, and despite his feelings for her, he felt as though he'd drawn the short straw. Did he even want to marry her?

"I've come to ask you something," he said.

"Yes?" Marian said.

"Well, I'm sure the servants must have told you that a lady arrived today," he said.

"Yes," Marian said. "I had heard. She is said to be very beautiful."

"She is, but that is not what I have come to discuss," he said, fumbling with words. His palms were sweating and he felt feverish. This was all wrong and he knew it. "Her father is dying and she needs someone to help her run his estate once he is gone."

"I cannot see what that has to do with either of us," Marian said.

"She has offered me her hand in marriage," he blurted out. "Her father owns the Gisborne lands and felt I had some claim to them. She agrees and has offered to marry me. As her husband I will be wealthy and well-respected, I will have surpassed my wildest ambitions."

"I see," Marian said with a frown. "What have you told her? I mean, you obviously cannot go through with this scheme. She's a complete stranger!"

"I've told her that I will ask you to marry me one last time and if you refuse then I will marry her," he said, feeling hot and cold all at the same time.

"What?" she cried. "Guy, that is preposterous! You can't possibly marry a stranger or not based on my answer to your proposal! This is madness! You cannot be serious!"

She rose from her seat and tossed her embroidery aside, pacing the floor. At least he'd gotten a reaction out of her.

"Why not?" he said. "You know how I feel for you and after a refusal from you it would be torture to stay here. She is offering me the world. I would be a fool to turn it down."

"Then why not just take it?" she said angrily. "Why ask me to marry you at all?"

"You I have feelings for you," he said, feeling desperate. "I cannot simply walk away from you without trying for your hand."

"Guy," she said, "I- I cannot- This is not fair. You cannot put me in this position."

"You've put me in worse positions," he said coldly, trying to reign in his feelings of anger and resentment.

"That is in the past, Guy," she said. "I thought you had forgiven me for that. I cannot do this. This is horrid. I cannot make a decision like this right now, without any time to think. It is unfair of you to ask me to."

"You're going to have to make a decision right now, Marian, because Lady Kate won't wait," he said. "You can't ask me to wait for you forever."

She thought about it for a long moment before answering him.

"I- I cannot- That is to say- I cannot marry you right now," she said, stumbling over her words nervously. "Things are far too complicated right now, especially with my father being in prison. Guy- I cannot. I am sorry."

A sense of… _relief_ flooded him and he breathed deeply, not realizing that he had been holding his breath. Still, a wave of hurt washed over him and he felt bitter at her refusal. It was the final straw.

"I'll see you get an invitation to the wedding," he said abruptly. "Goodbye, Marian."

He turned to leave but she caught his arm and he stopped.

"Guy, I'm sorry," she said, "but you must understand. And you cannot marry her. She's a stranger. You cannot spend the rest of your life with a woman you barely know!"

"I intend on getting to know her _very well_," he snapped, shirking out of her grasp. "_Goodbye_, Marian."

He left the room and headed for Lady Kate's chambers. He had to tell her immediately before he could change his mind.


	4. The Kiss

_**Guy's Unexpected Marriage**_

**Chapter Four: "The Kiss." **

**A/N: Gisborne Castle is portrayed by Eilean Donan Castle. Google it. It's beautiful. Lady Kate is portrayed by the lovely Eva Green. I'll do my best to describe her but that kind of beauty is beyond words. Guy is of course played by the sexy Richard Armitage. This is a Guy/OC fic so anyone not on board with that needs to back out now. I've had some people complain about putting an OC with regular characters so now I always put a little warning in. This is in no way a Guy/Marian fic. In fact, it's very anti-Marian. She'll be portrayed as bitchy and manipulative because that's kind of the way she is. Don't like it, hit the back button. And flames will be used to roast marshmallows. This takes place in season two at the beginning right when Marian and Guy get chummy again. Oh, and her singing voice is played by Orla Fallon from Celtic Woman. And we're ignoring season three, which I didn't see. Review please!**

* * *

Guy passed a servant on his way to Lady Kate's rooms and asked if she was awake. The servant, a young, frightened girl, said she was, and in her sitting room working on some embroidery. He frowned, remembering that that's what Marian had been doing when she'd refused him. Would Lady Kate still want him? Had she changed her mind? The idea made him unhappy though he couldn't understand why.

He arrived at Lady Kate's sitting room door and stood there for a long moment as he had at Marian's, only this time the anxiety, other than a few butterflies, was gone. He had a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, a lightness in his chest, as he thought about Lady Kate and her winning smile. Surely she wouldn't refuse him now?

He knocked, his palms sweating for an entirely different reason now.

"Enter," Lady Kate's light voice bid him.

He opened the door and found her sitting before the fire with her embroidery just like Marian had been. The irony wasn't lost on him.

Lady Kate smiled at him.

"You have come to speak with me already," she said. "Good. What do you have to tell me?"

He could tell by the way she smiled that she already knew. She seemed to have wonderful intuition.

"How did you know she would refuse?" he asked, standing before the fire with his back to her. He didn't want her to be able to read his expression.

"I had heard that she left you on your wedding day at the alter," she said. "No woman who loves a man would humiliate him like that."

"My humiliation is complete then," he said bitterly. "Does everyone in England know of it?"

"I paid well to know that piece of information and many others," she said, standing, putting her embroidery on her chair and placing her hand on his shoulder.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye in the firelight. It made her hair shine with red and gold highlights. She was so beautiful.

"She does not deserve you," Lady Kate said softly. "No one who treats a man with such disregard to his feelings deserves him. I think you must have a very gentle spirit to have forgiven her so freely."

"It took me a while before I could forgive her, but the circumstances were extenuating," he said, looking into the fire, brooding. Why was he still defending her? "She felt she had little other choice."

"You have a generous spirit," Lady Kate said. "I would not be so forgiving had someone treated me so. You will marry me then?"

"Yes," he said quietly.

"Good," she said with a dazzling smile. "Then perhaps you should kiss me to seal our bargain."

He looked up in surprise. She seemed to be sincere.

"Very well," he said, turning to face her.

He gently took her by the shoulders and he could see that her breathing was uneven. She was nervous. He smirked. She had probably never been kissed before.

She would not meet his gaze. Her eyes were on his chest and she seemed enthralled by his leather jacket. He put his finger under her chin and lifted her head gently, forcing her to meet his eyes. He leaned forward and his lips brushed hers in a feather-light kiss, his lips ghosting over hers. Her eyes drifted closed and he pressed his lips more firmly against hers, capturing her bottom lip between his own and sucking on it lightly, running his tongue over the skin. She gasped and he plunged his tongue into her mouth, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, pressing her body flush against his. He devoured her mouth in a searing kiss that seemed to stun her.

She put her hands against his chest and pulled back, her breathing heavy and uneven. She seemed dazed as she tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her. He held her tightly against his body and attacked her neck with his teeth and tongue. It had been far too long since he'd had a woman.

"Sir Guy!" she gasped.

"You're mine," he said, nipping at her collarbone, then biting the juncture between her shoulder and neck. She moaned at the sensation.

"We- We are not yet married, Sir Guy," she said breathlessly. "We cannot-"

He released her very suddenly and she stumbled back, catching herself on her chair. Her hand went to her neck. There were marks all over the skin where he had claimed her. She wouldn't be able to hide them. He smirked, quite pleased with himself. He'd completely undone her, and only with a kiss. He could hardly wait to see her reaction to his ministrations in bed.

"You will soon get used to that," he said firmly.

He stepped forward and lifted her chin to make her look at him. Their eyes met and for a long moment neither spoke.

Then he turned around and left.


End file.
